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☆ Russia plans to build dozens of prison camps across Ukraine over the next few years, documents show, hinting Moscow's readying for a long war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has been imprisoning Ukrainian civilians since the early months of the invasion. A document shows that Moscow plans to build 25 more prison camps in Ukraine by 2026, per AP. War analysts previously noted how Russia is prepared for a protracted war. The plan is another reflection of what war analysts have described as Russia's vision for a prolonged war after Ukrainian resistance dashed Moscow's hope for a swift victory. The think tank also added that a prolonged war is a narrative that Russia would want to push to discourage the West's support for Ukraine.

Persons: Dara Massicot, German Intelligence Agency Bruno Kahl, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Mark Milley Organizations: Service, Russia, Associated Press, RAND Corporation, German Intelligence Agency, Russian Security Council, Ukraine, Kyiv, US, Chiefs, Staff Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Vietnam, Kyiv, Washington

☆ US, Japan, S.Korea hold rare military meeting as N.Korea launches missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Washington has been pressing the uneasy neighbors to work more closely to better counter rising threats from China and North Korea. He said the North Korean ballistic missile had been launched towards the Sea of Japan. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology, including for satellite launches. North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday a U.S. military spy plane had entered North Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone eight times. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it appeared that North Korea's threats were largely bluster.

Persons: Mark A, Milley, Yves Herman, SMITH, Dave Butler, Mark Milley, Camp, Korea's Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Idrees Ali, Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel Organizations: Joint Chiefs, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, United, South, Reuters, North, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Hawaii, United States, North Korea, Washington, China, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Japan, Camp Smith, U.S, South Korea

☆ A showdown with one senator over hundreds of generals and admirals is set to ripple through the US military
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Waiting to replacing him is Gen. Eric Smith, and he will continue waiting until one senator lifts holds on the promotions of more than 250 generals and admirals. Tuberville's hold targets uniformed military officers over a policy set by the US military's civilian leadership, diverging from the longstanding manner in which members of Congress have expressed displeasure with such policies. Kelsey Dornfeld"Uniformed military officers do not set policy. 'We will lose talent'Maj. Gen. Eric Smith receives his three-star rank insignia during a ceremony in Okinawa in August 2018. "It is the personal development, it is the family understanding and predictability" that will be affected, Adm. John Aquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, told senators in April.

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville, David Berger, Eric Smith, Biden, —, Katherine Kuzminski, Sergeant, Marine Corps Troy Black, Kelsey Dornfeld, They're, Kuzminski, Berger, It's, Defense Lloyd Austin III, Austin, that's, Smith, Olivia G, Ortiz, Benjamin Northcutt, Christopher Cavoli, Michael Gilday, Lisa Franchetti, MCS2 La’Cordrick Wilson, John Aquilino, James McConville, McConville, Frank Kendall, Charles Brown Jr, Kendall, Brown, Drew Angerer, Mitch McConnell, Jack Reed's, Defense Lloyd Austin, Mark Milley, Alex Wong, Reed, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: Service, US Marine Corps, Pentagon, Department, US, Military, Veterans, Center, New, New American Security, Marine Corps, Staff, Uniformed, Defense, United States, Washington DC, Senate Armed Services Committee, US Army Europe, US Army, US European Command, NATO's Military, Naval Reactors, US Navy, Pacific Command, " Air Force, Savannah, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Capitol, Republican, CNN, Joint Chiefs Locations: Wall, Silicon, New American, Okinawa, Germany, Cavoli, Pacific, California, South Korea, Alabama

☆ Retired US general breaks down why it's so hard for Ukraine to make a counteroffensive push through Russia's defenses. It's '20 kilometers of hell.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As one retired US general put it, Kyiv's forces needs to break through "20 kilometers of hell," which is no easy task, especially with the tools at hand. Russia's troops have built layers of sophisticated and vicious defenses designed to inflict as much pain on Ukraine's advancing military as possible. As Ukrainian forces prepared for their offensive, Russian forces spent those months readying elaborate defenses behind a sprawling front line that stretches for hundreds of miles across eastern and southern Ukraine. "This is 20 kilometers of hell," Kimmitt said, referring to the layers of defenses. "So, the story of this counteroffensive is far from written, and we will continue to support Ukraine along the way."

Persons: Mark Kimmitt, Kimmitt, they're, Mark Milley, Jake Sullivan, Biden Organizations: Service, US, NATO, US Army, Coalition Forces, Maxar Technologies, Street, Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Locations: Russia, US, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Iraq, Yevpatoria, Crimea

☆ Tuberville Blockade Over Abortion Policy Threatens Top Military Promotions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But their efforts have thus far failed to dissuade Mr. Tuberville, who has dismissed his critics by arguing that Senate leaders have options to resolve the impasse. He has dared Senate leaders to circumvent his blockade by voting on the promotions individually, arguing that he would be ready to approve some promotions if forced to take a vote. In the meantime, Mr. Tuberville has steadily rejected the compromises that Senate leaders have offered him. Challenges to the Pentagon’s abortion access policy are expected to figure in the House debate on the defense authorization bill. But they hope that such a public referendum on the Pentagon’s policy would back Mr. Tuberville into a corner, creating public pressure on him to give up his quest.

Persons: Tuberville, Charles Q, Brown, Biden’s, Milley, Randy A, George, Mr, Biden Organizations: Armed Services Committee, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Army, Republican, Democratic, Republicans, Defense Department, House Democrats Locations: Alabama

☆ Russian reserves running low as Ukrainian forces make 'tactically significant gains' around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine has made "tactically significant gains" around the besieged city of Bakhmut, a think tank says. Geolocated footage published Thursday shows that Ukrainian troops made gains in Yahidne, around a mile north of Bakhmut, according to Washington DC-based think tank the Institute of the Study of War (ISW). However, it is unlikely that they have many more reserves to commit to the battle, the UK Ministry of Defense said. Along with the gains around Bakhmut, Ukraine's forces have also continued operations in at least three other sectors of the frontline on Friday, according to ISW. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesIn August 2022, Russia attacked Bakhmut using a combination of Wagner Group mercenaries, Russian soldiers, and pro-Russian separatist forces.

Persons: ISW, Bakhmut, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Milley, Milley, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MoD, Service, Washington DC, of, Ukrainian, Staff, UK Ministry of Defense, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, US Joint Chiefs, CNN, Bakhmut, Wagner Group, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Wall, Silicon, Yahidne, Russia, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Russian, Belarus

☆ No Russian ammo depots would be safe in Ukraine if the US provided longer-range HIMARS missiles and better drones, retired US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ATACMS and new drones would allow Kyiv hit all Russian positions in Ukraine, a retired US general said. The Biden administration has been reluctant to send longer-range missiles and drones to Ukraine. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Insider that Washington is likely concerned about Russian escalation. ATACMS in particular could make it easier for Ukraine to target the occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "Because we, the US, have continued to refuse to provide ATACMS, we have, in effect, created a safe haven for the Russians inside Ukraine.

Persons: Biden, Ben Hodges, —, it's, Hodges, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, ATACMS, they've, Abrams, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Army Tactical Missile, US Army, Army, Getty, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Artillery, Shadow, AP, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, US, Washington, Moscow, Russian, Army Europe, Kyiv, ATACMS, Crimean, Ukrainian, Odesa, Sevastopol, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, drones intercepted near Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen ride in a T-80 main battle tank captured earlier from Russian troops, along a road near the front line town of Bakhmut on June 19. Ukraine’s Western allies are getting nervous about the fact that the progress of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is being measured in meters, rather than kilometers. Kyiv’s allies are well aware that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia without their help. Many of the countries that are supporting Ukraine’s war efforts are struggling with high inflation, rising interest rates and sluggish growth. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said that the pace is not surprising, given that Ukrainian soldiers were fighting “for their life.”“We are giving them as much help as humanly possible, but at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches,” he said.

Persons: Serhii, he’s, ”, Mark Milley Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, CNN, US Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Bakhmut, Radio Free Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive: Why progress has been slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine’s Western allies are getting nervous about the fact that the progress of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is being measured in meters, rather than kilometers. But the slower than expected pace of the counteroffensive means their support could become increasingly unsustainable if the conflict drags on. Many of the countries that are supporting Ukraine’s war efforts are struggling with high inflation, rising interest rates and sluggish growth. Multiple Ukrainian and Western officials have admitted that the counteroffensive has so far failed to yield major advances – but most were quick to add that the slow progress was justified. The front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine have not moved much over the past months, giving Russian troops plenty of time to dig in and prepare for a counteroffensive.

Persons: he’s, ”, Mark Milley, ” Milley, Milley, “, Legion, Defense Hanna Maliar, ISW, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, US Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Press Club, Ukraine’s, Brigade, Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Bakhmut

☆ Ukraine right to be cautious with counter-offensive, top NATO official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, July 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russian forces is proving difficult due to landmines and other obstacles but Ukrainian forces are right to proceed cautiously, NATO's top military official said on Monday. "The counter offensive, it is difficult," said Admiral Rob Bauer, a Dutch military officer who is the chair of NATO's military committee. Bauer's comments echoed remarks by General Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, who said on Friday the counter-offensive would be very difficult, very long and "very, very bloody". Bauer said Ukrainian forces were right to be cautious to avoid high casualties as they probed for possible breakthroughs. He said Ukrainian forces should not face pressure or criticism for not moving more quickly.

Persons: Rob Bauer, Bauer, General Mark Milley, Andrew Gray, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Russian, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Dutch, Brussels, Ukrainian, Normandy, Russia

☆ Ukraine reclaimed an occupied village during its counteroffensive with far fewer troops than Russia, The New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NYT reported that one village, Neskuchne, was liberated with roughly 70 Ukrainian troops. According to the Times, Russia also has a contingent of troops known as the Storm Z unit that consists of former inmates. Ukrainian soldiers told the newspaper that reclaiming the village was a slow and painstaking process. According to the Times, Ukrainian soldiers first moved in on Neskuchne by foot before carrying out an artillery attack with small drones. More than a dozen Russian soldiers were killed and wounded, and six Ukrainian soldiers died, according to the report.

Persons: —, Mark Milley, Russia's, Hanna Malyar Organizations: Service, Ukraine, New York Times, US, Chiefs, Staff, 129th Territorial Defense Brigade, Motorized Rifle Brigade, Times, Storm, 129th, Institute for Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Neskuchne, Donetsk, Moscow, Russian

☆ Ukraine, U.S. agree: counteroffensive creeps ahead, measured in blood
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"War on paper and real war are different. In real war, real people die. He added, "What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, 10 weeks, it's going to be very difficult. watch nowLast week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the counteroffensive was "slower than desired", without getting too specific. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Polish President Andrzej Duda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023.

Persons: Hanna Maliar, Mihail Ostrogradski, Mark Milley, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, RTVE, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Gitanas Nauseda, Andrzej Duda, Alina Smutko Organizations: Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, National Press Club, Reuters, NATO, Kyiv, U.S, Lithuanian Locations: Storozheve, Donetsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, U.S, Washington, Russia, Lithuania, Spanish

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy is disrupting the succession of top military leadership as the US confronts multiple threats abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military nominees is rippling throughout the Pentagon. But Tuberville continues to stand by his position, a protest against the Pentagon's new abortion policy. If the senator's hold on nominees stands in the coming weeks, though, the leaders of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps — along with the chairman — won't have respective successors installed. The hold on nominees also comes as the US continues to navigate its diplomatic relationship with China. Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general and former staffer on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Politico that Tuberville is "taking the military nominees as political hostages."

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville's, Staff Mark Milley, Tuberville, —, GOP Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Roe, Wade, Biden, Arnold Punaro Organizations: Pentagon, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Service, GOP, of Defense, Chiefs, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Senate Armed Services Committee, Politico Locations: Alabama, Ukraine, Russian, China

☆ Ukraine, US agree: counteroffensive creeps ahead, measured in blood
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Students of the school for drone pilots Dronarium Academy practice during a lesson, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Alina SmutkoJune 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine has been publicly cautious in counting gains in a counteroffensive it launched this month to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces, and on Friday its president and a U.S. general acknowledged that progress is measured in blood. In real war, real people die. After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia. But at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches" against Russia's much larger army.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Mark Milley, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, RTVE, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin's Wagner, Milley, Olena Harmash, Michael Martina, Elaine Monaghan, Grant McCool Organizations: Dronarium Academy, REUTERS, National Press Club, Reuters, NATO, Kyiv, U.S, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Washington, Russia, Lithuania, Spanish, Kyiv, Spain, Belarus, Asipovichi, Minsk, Russian

☆ Angered by counteroffensive complaints, Ukraine's top general says the expected mission is 'not feasible at all' with just the weapons his army has now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Kyiv's top general, doesn't want to hear complaints that it's moving too slow. The pace is grinding in some sectors of the front, but Kyiv's top general says he doesn't want to hear complaints it's going too slow. Kyiv's military is currently undergoing several offensive maneuvers along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions and has made small — but, at times, costly — territorial gains in the process. Armed with the right missiles, these aircraft could help support Ukraine's air defenses and inflict damage on Russian positions at range. "So we just need to continue to support Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation in Europe."

Persons: Valerii, —, it's, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, Sasha Maslov, Ukraine doesn't, Neskucne, Ercin Erturk, Biden, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, there's, GENYA SAVILOV, wishlist, Jens Stoltenberg, We'll, Stoltenberg Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Ukraine, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Washington, Getty, NATO, Ukraine's, Pentagon, Russia, Ukrainian Army, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Army Tactical Missile, Artillery, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russian, British, Russia, Storojove, Donetsk, ATACMS, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, AFP, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lithuania

☆ The Kremlin spent over $1 billion on Wagner's mercenary army just to see them capture a destroyed city and then turn around and invade Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Vladimir Putin revealed that the Kremlin spent over $1 billion on the Wagner Group over the past year. The Moscow-funded mercenaries spent months capturing one almost totally destroyed city in Ukraine. Servicemen of the Wagner Group military company guard an area at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24, 2023. Private military companies like the Wagner Group are technically illegal in Russia. The potential for significant bloodshed was averted, but not before the Kremlin-financed Wagner Group managed to down several Russian aircraft and kill the pilots.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've Organizations: Kremlin, Wagner Group, Service, Defense Ministry, Southern Military District, Private, Bakhmut, French Army, AP, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Reuters, Saturday, CBS News Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Concord, Rostov, Don, Africa, East, Donetsk, Mali, Belarus, Kyiv

On the recording, Mr. Trump can be heard rustling through papers and describing for his guests a “secret” plan regarding Iran that he said had been drawn up by Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Defense Department. Mr. Trump was describing the document in an effort to rebut an account that General Milley feared having to keep him from manufacturing a crisis with Iran in the period after Mr. Trump lost his re-election bid in late 2020. Ms. Harrington, one of Mr. Trump’s most aggressive defenders on Twitter, did not respond to questions about whether she is one of the voices talking on the recording as Mr. Trump appears to show a piece of paper. Ms. Harrington; Ms. Martin, who worked for Mr. Trump in the White House; and the other participants in the meeting could be important witnesses if Mr. Trump’s case goes to trial, since they can provide firsthand descriptions of what he was showing as he discussed the Iran plan. A lawyer for Ms. Martin declined to comment.

Persons: Trump, Mark, Milley, Mr, Harrington, Martin, Trump’s, —, Bret Baier Organizations: Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Department, Mr, Twitter, Fox News Locations: Iran

☆ Trump says he's unconcerned about other damaging tapes 'because I don't do things wrong'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump said he's not afraid of any additional potentially damaging recordings becoming public. "I don't know of any recordings that we should be concerned with because I don't do things wrong. On Monday night, CNN aired an audio tape in which Trump seemed to clearly identify that he kept classified papers after leaving office. "These are the papers," Trump can be heard saying on the recording. All I know is I did nothing wrong," Trump told Fox News on Tuesday.

Persons: Trump, he's, —, Donald Trump, Jack Smith's, DH8AirCoKH — Jamie Dupree, Mark Milley, Milley, It's, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Bob Woodward, Brad Raffensperger Organizations: Service, Fox News, CNN, Records, Defense Department, Washington Post, Georgia Locations: Iran

☆ Exclusive: CNN obtains the tape of Trump’s 2021 conversation about classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —CNN has exclusively obtained the audio recording of the 2021 meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump discusses holding secret documents he did not declassify. Hear the conversation Listen to audio exclusively obtained by CNN of a July 2021 conversation during which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held on to a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran. “These are the papers,” Trump says in the audio recording, while he’s discussing the Pentagon attack plans, a quote that was not included in the indictment. The audio recording comes from a July 2021 interview Trump gave at his Bedminster resort for people working on the memoir of Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff. While that’s the last line included in the indictment, the audio recording obtained by CNN includes several additional lines from the conversation:Trump: “It’s so cool.

Persons: Donald Trump, “ Anderson Cooper, Jack Smith’s, Trump, ” Trump, Hillary Clinton’s, ” “ Hillary, ” Trump’s, “, Anthony Weiner, Bret Baier, Mark, –, Mark Milley, Milley, ”, ’, Weiner, ‘, ’ ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Democratic, Fox News, Fox, Yorker, Joint Chiefs, Trump, Defense Department, FBI Locations: Bedminster , New Jersey, Iran, Lago, Palm Beach , Florida, Bedminster, Mark Meadows

☆ Audio Undercuts Trump’s Assertion He Did Not Have Classified Document
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Portions of a transcript of the two-minute recording of Mr. Trump were cited by federal prosecutors in the indictment of Mr. Trump on charges that he had put national security secrets at risk by mishandling classified documents after leaving office and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them. The recording captured his conversation in July 2021 with a publisher and writer working on a memoir by Mr. Trump’s final chief of staff, Mark Meadows. In it, Mr. Trump discussed what he described as a “secret” plan regarding Iran drawn up by Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Defense Department. Mr. Trump was citing the document in rebutting an account that General Milley feared having to keep him from manufacturing a crisis with Iran in the period after Mr. Trump lost his re-election bid in late 2020. The audio, which is likely to feature as evidence in Mr. Trump’s trial in the documents case, was played for the first time in public on Monday by CNN and was also obtained by The New York Times.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, Trump’s, Mark, Milley Organizations: Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Department, Mr, CNN, The New York Times Locations: Iran, Mark Meadows

☆ The Marine Corps might not get a confirmed leader for first time in 164 years due to standoff with Republican senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Rebecca Kheel | Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On July 10, the Marine Corps may be led an acting commandant for the first time in 164 years. A GOP senator is blocking the next commandant's confirmation over the Pentagon's abortion leave policy. The Justice Department has already conducted a legal analysis of the Pentagon policy. Smith, then commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in September 2018. "It was a spirited discussion, and it took a long time," Kaine said about the committee's closed-door debate on the abortion policy.

Persons: —, David Berger, Jim Stenger, Military.com, Berger's, Eric Smith, Smith, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Read, Stenger, Berger, Chip Somodevilla, Archibald Henderson, Tuberville, Andrew Jones, Joe Manchin, Joni Ernst, Tim Kaine, Kaine, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Mark Milley, James McConville, Mike Gilday, — Rebecca Kheel, — Konstantin Toropin Organizations: Marine Corps, GOP, Service, Corps, Defense Department, Senate, Senate Armed Services, Capitol, Armed Services Committee, stonewall, National Defense, Pentagon, Justice Department, Peace Corps, Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, US Marine Corps, Andrew Jones Senators, Marines, Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Twitter Locations: Iowa, Smith

☆ Some U.S. Officials Depended on News Coverage to Follow Developments in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The rapidly moving events in Russia enraptured parts of Washington on Saturday, as officials struggled to fully understand what was happening. Because some officials couldn't access classified systems from home on a Saturday, some said they depended instead on widely available information, such as live news coverage and social media. By midday, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, canceled a planned trip to Israel and Jordan, set to begin Saturday. He spoke to his Ukrainian and French counterparts instead.

Persons: Mark Milley, Jordan Organizations: Army, Joint Chiefs of Staff Locations: Russia, Washington, Israel

☆ Rebel Russian mercenaries halt advance on Moscow, Kremlin says fighters to face no action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday night, they began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had seized, a Reuters witness said. EX-CONVICTS IN WAGNER RANKSThe fighters led by Prigozhin, a former convict, include thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian jails. Residents of the city had milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said an offensive was launched near a group of villages ringing Bakhmut, which was taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting. Tarnavskiy said the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow seized it in 2014.

Persons: Prigozhin, Belarus Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Lukashenko, Peskov, Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Mark Milley, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, Tarnavskiy, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff, Frank Jack Daniel, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus, Defence Ministry, Russia's Southern Military District, Residents, Deputy, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Rostov, ROSTOV, VORONEZH, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, France, Germany, Britain, East, UKRAINE, Krasnohorivka, Donetsk

Special counsel Jack Smith disclosed in a court filing Wednesday that investigators had more tapes of interviews with Trump conducted by non-government entities and recorded with his consent but did not say what the tapes said or how they were obtained. The new reporting provides more insight into how the special counsel conducted its investigation and what kinds of evidence it has. The special counsel previously revealed it obtained audio of an interview Trump gave at Bedminster for Mark Meadows’ memoir in which the special counsel says Trump shared classified information with visitors and aides. Sources familiar with the investigation told CNN the Trump team does not believe the additional recordings are as incriminating as the recording referenced in the indictment unsealed this month. Trump’s team and the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith, Trump, Mark Meadows, Mark Milley Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Bedminster, Trump, ” Prosecutors Locations: Mark, Bedminster

☆ Early stages of Ukrainian counteroffensive ‘not meeting expectations,’ Western officials tell CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —In its early phases, Ukraine’s counteroffensive is having less success and Russian forces are showing more competence than western assessments expected, two western officials and a senior US military official tell CNN. According to the Western assessments, Russian lines of defense have been proving well-fortified, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to breach them. Ukrainian forces are proving “vulnerable” to minefields and Russian forces “competent” in their defense, one of the Western officials said. In addition, these officials note that Ukrainian forces have themselves been adapting to Russian tactics and defenses, including carrying out more dismounted operations. Several officials told CNN that adverse weather was proving an issue for Ukrainian forces.

Persons: “, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Mark Milley, Lloyd Austin, ”, ” Austin Organizations: CNN, Russian, Ukrainian, trafficability, Defense Contact, Joint Chiefs, Staff, US Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Brussels

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